Paul's Thankfulness for Partnership and Support - Part 1

Alright, let's take our Bible, let's turn to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4, we will be in verses 14 to 19. Now I'm going to ask us to turn to another portion of scripture about halfway through the message, 1 Corinthians 3. 1 Corinthians 3. I usually don't do that, but I think it's necessary. This passage in Corinthians will help us see something that's going on here in these verses. Now I think it's obvious that we're getting towards the end of the study of the book of Philippians. It's only four chapters and we're in chapter four, but we must not think that these last verses were on the homestretch.

We must not think that these last verses are somehow less important. And what I mean by that is this, we must not overlook the verses. This is all very very relevant for our day. And the more I studied this this week, the more relevant, the more needed I saw these things. Now when we started this last section of chapter 4, the last section is really verse 10 down to verse 20. I gave us a breakdown of these verses and I said woven all through these verses we see Paul's heart. We see Paul's heart of gratitude. We see Paul's heart of thankfulness and he expresses that. We saw Paul's secret in verses 10 to 14.

Paul shared that he had learned the secret of being content in whatever circumstances that God put him in. And this secret was connected to how the Philippians had reconnected with Paul and how they had sent him multiple gifts. First was money that supplied all of his needs. Think about it, the money they sent would have bought all of the physical needs he had. And then also a Paparditis came to serve, serve with him and serve him. Really that's a package deal. A Paprist came to serve him and to serve with him. And of course through a Paparditis they sent their love, they sent their support.

And we will see as we get into these next scripture, we will see Paul's ministry partnership list in verses 10 to 17. Here Paul shared that when he left the Philippians that no church had partnered with him in his ministry endeavors except for them. We saw this in verse 10 and 14 that later the Philippian church had even struggled to partner with him because they had become disconnected. Now scholars debate about why they were disconnected. I think it's practical. I think they were disconnected because of distance. Paul was a great distance from them and because of time.

It really does not seem that there was any sin on the Philippians part nor Paul's part. They just became disconnected. And we will see here that Paul was well supplied in verses 18 to 20. After Paul received the gifts that the Philippian church had sent to him through a Paparditis he said that he was well supplied. He had the money he needed and that money that he needed bought all of the physical possessions that he would have needed. He also had the ministry help that he needed and he said that he knew that God would supply every one of his needs according to his. That's God's riches and glory.

And like I said before all in these verses all throughout what Paul's saying here Paul says that he is extremely thankful. He expresses the fact that he is full of gratitude in all of these things and then behind all of his thankfulness we're going to see his motives in all of these things. Now when we studied verses 10 to 14 we had what I called a part one and a part two although the titles were different. In that first message I titled it Paul's thankfulness he reveals the secret of contentment. The secret of contentment and then in the second message I titled that Paul reveals the secret of his contentment.

I got a little more personal with Paul. Now tonight we're going to be in verses 14 to 20 and what I'm calling Paul's thankfulness for partnership and support and this is a part one. This is a part one and a part two. Paul's thankfulness for partnership but it's more. Paul's thankfulness for partnership and support. I could say Paul's thankfulness for support but it's more it's more than support it's thankfulness for support and partnership. So let's read our verses verses 14 to 20 and then I'll share with you how we're going to divide them.

Verse 14 "Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble and you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia no church entered in the partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once again. Not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more. I am well supplied having received from a papparitis the gifts you sent me.

A fragrant offering a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." Now before we divide the verses and before I explain to you how I'm going to divide the verses we must remember the context. I say this often context is key we've got to remember the background here. The Philippian church had lost contact with Paul but not out of negligence or any kind of sin. It just seems that distance away from Paul and time away from Paul had disconnected them from each other.

But after 10 years since Paul had first come to Philippi the Philippians heard how Paul was in this Roman imprisonment so their concern for Paul was revived. It flourished again by the grace of God and in the providence of God the opportunity to reconnect with Paul had come about. So their concern, their love, their ability to minister to Paul and with Paul had been revived. It was flourishing again. Now this brings me to how we're going to divide the verses. We will look at their current and their past support in verses 14 to 16.

Then we will look at Paul's motivation and contentment in their support in verses 17 to 18 and then we will look at Paul's prayer for their needs. And again we're not going to cover all of that tonight. So number one the Philippians and their current support. We see that in verse 14. The Philippians and their current support. Listen again to verse 14. "Yet it was kind," that's a key word, "it was kind of you to share my trouble." The legacy standard bible reads a little different. It reads, "Nevertheless you have done well to fellowship with me in my affliction." Now this word kind I said earlier is a key word.

We see kind in the English standard version. In the original it means beautiful. It means excellent or well. It means honorable. So Paul was saying that the Philippian believers had done an excellent honorable and beautiful thing in reconnecting with him in his hardship. They had done well and were kind in sharing in his troubling circumstances. Now if you do some study on your own you will see that verse 14 is sometimes included with verses 10 to 13. Sometimes it's included in verses 15 to 20. Honestly it's a phrase, a verse, that's a transition and it can be overlooked sometimes.

But I think it's important to take a quick look at this verse for one reason. Simply here Paul was commending them for their current support. He was exalting them for their current support. He was bragging on them for their current support. And we're going to come back to verse 14 here in a minute because verse 14 verse 15 and 16 all go together. So the Philippians and their current support. Then number two the Philippians and their past support. The Philippians and their past support. Listen to verse 15 to 16.

And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia no church entered in the partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once again. Now we have here a brief history of how the Philippian believers the church here supported Paul. And how so many did not support Paul. And to really get a fuller picture we have to go into some other New Testament books and it can help if we look at the map that gives us Paul's second missionary journey.

But I'll condense those things and I want to give a quick rundown on what Paul was saying here in verses 15 to 16. Here Paul is referring back to when he first preached the gospel to them in the city of Philippi 10 years before. Of course men and women were converted to Christ and the church was born there in Philippi. We see those things happening in Acts 16. We know Lydia came to faith in Christ. We know that the Philippian jailer came to faith in Christ and some in his family. We speculate about the slave girl who was set free. I have to believe that she came to faith in Christ but there were converts there the church was born.

But gospel work in the region of Macedonia was very hard work for Paul and those who were with Paul. When he was in Philippi he was beaten and thrown in jail. When he left there he went to Thessalonica and things didn't get any easier there. After Thessalonica Paul went further south to Berea. Now the Bereans were noble-minded the scriptures tell us but the Thessalonians followed Paul to Berea and they made trouble for Paul there in Berea. We see all of this happening in Acts 16 and Acts 17.

And Acts 17 tells us that after Paul left the region of Macedonia he went further south out of Macedonia and into southern Greece to the cities of Athens and then to Corinth. If we look at the map of Paul's second missionary journey we can see that the region of Macedonia which is where Philippi is or was it is the farthest north in Paul's second missionary journey and it was about the halfway mark in this long missionary journey.

Scholars say it took two and a half to three years to make this trip and after he left Macedonia Paul and all of those that were with him they stopped at Athens then at Corinth which is in southern Greece then they sailed over to Ephesus and to Caesarea and on to the church at Jerusalem and then after they left the church at Jerusalem they traveled to Antioch which is where the second missionary journey began. And this is my point.

Paul was explaining to the Philippians that after he left them no other church partnered with him in giving and receiving but then he said that even in Thessalonica where things were very tough they supported his needs. Listen and look back at verses 15 to 16 again and you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel that's when the church was born there in Philippi when I left Macedonia he left Macedonia went to Thessalonica and then Berea no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.

So in verse 14 Paul referenced their current support and how they had reconnected in their ministry relationship. In verses 15 to 16 Paul referenced their past support and how they were the only ones who supported him in the second half of his second missionary journey. Now out of all of those things I want to make two observations about this church these circumstances and then I want to look at one very important thing out of verse 15. First the Philippians they gave like we see here when they were in their infancy. I'll repeat that the Philippians this Philippian church they gave like we see here when they were in their infancy.

Now think about it when the Philippian church was brand new they were a church in its infancy and they jumped at the chance to support Paul. Shortly after Paul and his associates left them they were in Thessalonica and they were in need so the Philippian believers jumped at the opportunity to partner with Paul and they sent him support. And this help enabled Paul and his associates to continue in their journey down south to Athens down south to Corinth so they funded Paul's ministry in those cities.

In fact in 2 Corinthians 11 8 and 9 Paul tells the Corinthian church how the Macedonian churches supported him so that he could minister in Corinth. Scholars believe that when he's referring to the Macedonian churches he speaking of the Philippians. And then second the Philippians they gave like we see here when they were more established. Let me repeat that the Philippian church they gave like we see here when they were a more established church. Think about it after 10 years they were much more established as a church and they were a very mature and healthy church.

Paul was writing this letter 10 years after this church was born and from this letter we can see that they were a very mature congregation. They were not perfect but they were mature they were established they were very healthy they were a model church. And when they had the opportunity to reconnect with and partner with Paul again they jumped at that opportunity. Some rhetorical questions here that I will probably elaborate on next week. What are the lessons for us right here? Remember now I'm showing you their actions and giving and partnering when they were in their infancy and when they were more established. What is the lesson here?

What are the lessons here? How should their example challenge us and even influence us? In what way should we try to emulate? You know what the word emulate means? It means to follow after and even to excel. In what ways should we try to be like the Philippian church and even excel the Philippian church here? And I'll add to this before I move on. You know we can derive from scripture what we would call marks of a healthy church. Brother Matt did that when he was preaching out of the book of Acts for us. But we can get into the scripture and we can look at characteristics or marks in the scripture of what a healthy church should be.

And I venture to say that if we make a list of the marks of a healthy church this has got to be there. In its infancy and when they were more established they jumped at not just giving money not just giving men but when they were giving money and men they were giving support they were partnering they were participating in true gospel work. And then third I said that we were going to look at one important thing out of verse 15. Third in the form of a question what is this giving and receiving in verse 15? What is this phrase giving and receiving in verse 15? What does that mean? Look at the verse again.

"You Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only." Let me read the verse in the legacy standard Bible. "And you yourselves also know Philippians that at the first preaching of the gospel after I left Macedonia no church fellowshiped with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone." The English standard says partnership with me in giving and receiving. The legacy standard says fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving.

Now what we see here in the second part of verse 15 is loaded and scholars tell us and it's obvious to see for me that this gets into the heart of their relationship. This actually gets into the heart of this letter. This right here, this right here is all about the partnership the Philippians had with Paul. The participation or the fellowship they had with Paul in his ministry and let's turn it around the partnership and participation that Paul had with them. And to get at what we have here we need to see that Paul was using accounting language. Language scholars tell us this phrase matter of giving and receiving is business language.

They say it's accounting terminology and as a matter of fact when you do some study scholars will show you where this language is used in extra biblical language, accounting language, business language outside of the Bible. But specifically this word matter found in the English standard version or excuse me the legacy standard Bible. This word matter is sometimes translated accounts. Paul says no church fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. The language scholar A.T. Robertson says that no other church opened an account with Paul. Let me say that again. The scholar A.T.

Robertson says that no other church opened an account with Paul. But what does that mean? The believers in the Philippian church made a choice to open an account with Paul but this is not a banking account this is a ministry account. And what does this account what does this mean? Partnership with Paul in the gospel ministry. They chose to partner with Paul to participate with Paul in his ministry. They purposefully and willingly opened up an account to do spiritual and ministry business with Paul. And look church this one thing is at the heart of the letter. The Philippian church had a unique one-of-a-kind relationship with Paul.

No other church had opened an account with Paul to do ministry business with Paul like we see here. Then this phrase giving and receiving. This can be translated as credits and debits. Paul says no church fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. Warren Wiersby says and I'm quoting the church that would be the Philippians entered into an agreement of giving and receiving. The church gave materially to Paul and they received spiritually from the Lord. And I would add to what Wiersby said. I think he is getting it right but I think he's missing quite a lot of what is seen here.

The Philippian church opened up a ministry account with Paul. They met Paul's material needs sometimes certain ministry needs such as sending Paul help like with a papparditis. They encouraged Paul emotionally and spiritually through all of their love and their support. So they the Philippians met many different needs in Paul's life and ministry. The Philippian church opened up a ministry account with Paul and Paul met many of their needs. The best example of how Paul met needs in their lives is this letter. He wrote them and through writing them he met many different emotional and spiritual needs in their church through the letter.

Paul also met needs in their lives and how he sent a papparditis back to them. So Paul met many different needs in the life of the Philippian church and in those individual lives there in the church. The Philippian church opened up a ministry account with Paul and Paul agreed to this arrangement. He agreed to this agreement and through their fellowship, their partnership, and participation in gospel ministry together, they all received spiritually from God. So what we have here in verse 14 in verses 15 to 16 is this. A rich Philippian church and a rich apostle Paul and those who were with Paul were rich as well.

There was quite a lot of giving and receiving going on between them all. You see that? See the credits and the debits? There was quite a lot of receiving and giving credits and debits going on between them all and God was keeping a record of all these things. This is where I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians 3 verses 11 to 15. You know these verses. If you don't have your copy of God's Word just listen. Paul says, "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." Now the apostles laid the foundation. Okay verse 12.

"Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw, each one's work will become manifest or made known for the day will disclose it because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up he will suffer loss though he himself will be saved." These are Christians. "But only as through fire." Now at the very basic level what we see here in these passages is this.

Within the church and gospel ministry we are either building with that which will survive being tested by God at the judgment seat of Christ or it will be burned up as worthless. If our work in the church and in gospel ministry is true and biblical it will survive and we will be rewarded. If our work is not true and not biblical it will not survive and we will suffer loss. We will be either rich or poor. This is the believer now. Gold, silver, precious stones represent true gospel work and true ministry while wood, hay and straw represent that which is not true gospel work and not true gospel ministry.

So what the Philippian believers in Paul were doing was this. They were building the church and ministry out of that which was and is gold, silver and precious stones. And in all that they did and in all that they built they will be rewarded. Why do I say it? Future tense. The day of judgment has not come yet. So they were rich while on earth when they were partnering together in gospel ministry and they will be rich in eternity after their deeds pass before the Lord and they are rewarded.

How many churches do we know have loads of money in the bank and so many physical resources yet they are poor in partnering with those who are doing gospel ministry around the world. They are poor in participating in and partnering in doing gospel ministry even across town. How many believers, real believers, have loads of money and other resources that could be used for true gospel work and ministry yet they are poor in partnering with those who are doing gospel ministry around the world. They are poor in participating in doing gospel ministry in their own local church and even across town on a more personal level.

If God were to open the ledger book of gospel ministry transactions, Paul was using accounting language folks. If God were to open the ledger book of gospel ministry transactions, our ledger book, what credits and debits would he see? How many churches and individual believers are sitting on a pile of money and material wealth but they have no interest in investing in missionaries, pastors in churches who are in need, giving it out, giving it out.

How many missionaries, pastors in churches are in need of money, resources, and support but there seems to be no church to partner with them and participate in true gospel work in ministry with them. See the giving out and the coming in, the debits and the credits? I can't help but go to anchored in truth here. I mean I can't help but relate us to anchored in truth. Look at what we have in anchored in truth and our partnership with anchored in truth churches. Look at what we receive from anchored in truth and how they partner with us and participate with us in true gospel ministry in church work. Why do you think Matt Fowler came down here?

He didn't come down here for a check. He came down here to minister, to give and he came down here so that we could give to him a lot of giving and receiving. Why do you think in our early years when I sat down with Brother Jeff Noblin and I said, you know, we're in a position where we need to move. Why did he step forward and say we want to partner with you, we want to help you. I want to come down and pour in your men. We want to give, give, give. Why do you think they wanted to do that? Because they get this giving and this receiving and we get it as well.

You know when I study things like this and meditate over these things, I think about our future and you know what comes out? I want God to grow us to the place where we can give and give more. I'm thankful for how we give. I'm not talking about just money either folks. I'm thankful for how we give. I'm thankful for the spirit of generosity in our church but I can't wait for us to grow and come to a place where we can give and give more. But am I wrong in that? The Philippian church was a model church in these things when they were in their infancy. So the Philippians, their current and their past support.

Number three, Paul's motivation in their support. Let's look back at verse 17. He says, "Not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit." Now what we see here is rather simple. Paul did not want the Philippians to think that he was primarily concerned with their gifts. He wanted them to see that his main concern was the development of the grace of giving within them and that which comes from giving. Let me say that again. Paul wanted them to see that his main concern was the development of the grace of giving within them and that which comes from that giving.

And notice that he continues to use business or accounting language. He is saying that this type of giving which comes from a work of God's grace in them turns into spiritual interest accruing to their account. Listen to this verse in the Amplified. It reads, "Not that I seek the gift itself but I do seek the prophet which increases to your heavenly account the blessing which is accumulating for you." Now a question, what do we see actually right here? Paul's motivation. Paul's motivation. It was not centered around the gift it was given. His motivation was in fact centered on the giver of the gift.

In an application for us, listen to what the Bible scholar William Hendrickson says about giving. He says, and I'm quoting, "Right giving always enriches the giver." Right giving always enriches the giver. And I love this. Hendrickson goes on to say, "It gives a list of the fruits that are harvested by such givers in these things." Listen, this is good.

He says, "One of the fruits of giving like this is a good conscience, an assurance of salvation, enriched fellowship with other believers, a broadened outlook into the needs and interests of the church universal, increased love and joy in both the giver and the receiver, a higher degree of glory in heaven, judgment day praise." Now let me go back through those fruits that Hendrickson gives and think about it in relation to Paul and the Philippians. Do you think that Paul and the Philippians had a good conscience in how they related to one another?

Do you think that Paul and the Philippians were assured of their salvation as they functioned and flourished in their partnership in giving one to another? Do you think that their fellowship with one another was enriched because of how they gave one to another? Do you think that they had a broadened outlook as to the needs and interests of the church universal as they partnered and as they gave one to another? Do you think that they had an increase of love and joy both with those who gave and those who received in all of these things? Do you think that they have a higher degree of glory in heaven? Yes we do. We know they do.

Do you think that they will receive praise on judgment day? The scriptures tell us. But what about in our lives when we give? What does it do to our conscience? How does it make us feel about our salvation? Do we have enriched fellowship with other believers when we give one to another? Do we have a broadened outlook into the needs and the interests of the church universal? That means the church around the world. Do we have an increased love and joy both in giving and receiving receiving and giving? And do we see that we'll have a greater a higher degree of glory in heaven and we'll receive judgment day praise when we give like this?

So we see Paul's motivation for their support. Now at this point I want to pause right here. I want to come back and we're going to finish verses 18 to 20. Next week this is what we will do. I will review what we have studied here and I'm going to give us some more teaching and application from verses 14 to verse 17. It'll become fuller, broader, bigger and then we'll divide verses 18 to 20. But as we close how do we need to leave what we've studied here? I think we need to leave here by allowing me to make some comments. I have some pastoral comments that I want to share. As your pastor I do think we are a mature congregation. Perfect no.

Healthy yes. I believe we are a mature healthy congregation. We do have as a whole a great love and a desire for the word. That's why when we have someone like Matt Fowler come in and preach they always say the people at Grace Life Church come. They're engaged. They have their Bibles. They take notes. They make comments. I believe that comes from a love and a desire for the word. We do genuinely love brothers and sisters each other. We do genuinely love the lost. Now can we love the lost more? Yes. Can we do better in our love for one another? Of course. I see and I hear that believers are growing in their life and in our church.

I believe that we are all I see it and I hear it that we are growing from the Word of God as it is taught from the pulpit and our small group ministry. I see that you are growing as you are serving in the life of our church. We do not have leadership issues. We do not struggle with petty immature issues in our congregation. We do not have division or divisive people in our church. We don't have theological problems. We are not a perfect church. No, but I believe we are mature and we are healthy. But one more thing I want to share more specifically to this message. I do think that we are a generous and giving people. I don't know who gives.

I'm not going to know who gives. But I do hear things like this. Pastor, I see people give. I hear people give when we have visitors come in. I know when their needs I see how people give. I hear how people rush to give. Oh, when the checks are cut for particular needs, I see the end result. I believe we are generous, not just in writing a check. I believe we are generous in loving one another, in giving of ourselves to one another. But I do think we will face some decisions in regard to our giving. I do think we're going to face some decisions in regard to our giving in two particular areas. We have building needs.

Our rental situation is fine, but we rent. I don't know if you know it, but this old church that we love is getting older by the day. I don't want to rent forever. I don't know where our permanent future home will be, but I yearn for that. I have yet to challenge you to give towards our building needs. That's going to come soon. And then second, missions and missions needs in the future. Now we give out of the budget to Anchored in Truth. I'm thankful 100% of what we give goes to the field. Grace Life Church of the Shoals takes care of all of the in-house costs, administrative costs.

Now those costs are low, but administrative costs are necessary. We give out of the budget, but I've yet to call you to give. And what I'm showing you is this. We are generous and we're doing good in our giving. I don't believe we're in sin. But in the future, we're going to come to a crossroads where we're going to have to personally strategically give. Now let's think back to the Philippians. In their infancy they gave to Paul and met his needs, but they became disconnected. And one day, boom, an opportunity came. God reconnected them. They stepped up to the plate and they gave. They gave sacrificially, folks.

They were a very, very poor people. They gave sacrificially. They sent one of their best men. And so what I'm showing you is this. We're going to have opportunity come our way and we're going to have to make a choice individually and collectively to be like the Philippians. And again, we're going to come back to these verses next week. There's some more that I want to say here with what we have studied. We're just going to go a little further, a little deeper, and then we're going to finish out those verses that we did not cover. So tonight, Paul's thankfulness for partnership and support. Part one. Let's pray.